Toronto hosts Syracuse in Game 6 of the North Division Finals tonight, looking to push the series to the limit… The Crunch are one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals after taking a 3-2 series lead with a 5-1 victory on Saturday night… Syracuse spotted the Marlies a 1-0 lead in Game 5 before scoring the next five goals… Matthew Peca (3-5-8) tied the game at 11:24 of the first period and Joel Vermin (4-0-4) put the Crunch in front for good at 3:18 of the second… Kevin Lynch (1-1-2) and Jonathan Racine (1-1-2) both scored their first career AHL playoff goals, and Gabriel Dumont (2-1-3) tacked on an empty-netter with 3:38 to play… Racine’s goal was Syracuse’s third shorthanded marker of the series… Mike McKenna (6-3, 2.60, .903) made 26 saves in the win; McKenna is 5-0 (1.99, .921) at home this postseason but 1-3 (3.42, .883) on the road… Steve Oleksy (1-1-2) scored the only goal for the Marlies in Game 5, his first in 32 career Calder Cup Playoff contests… Kasimir Kaskisuo (4-2, 2.56, .891) stopped 18 of 22 shots for Toronto, and now shows a 3.72 GAA and an .857 save percentage in the series… The Marlies are 6-for-23 (26.1 percent) on the power play in the series; the Crunch are 3-for-18 (16.7 percent)… Toronto is 9-8 all-time when facing playoff elimination, including 6-4 at Ricoh Coliseum… Syracuse is 8-12 all-time with a chance to close out a series.

Alumni Watch In the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs last night, 2016 AHL All-Star Nick Ritchie scored the game-winning goal as Anaheim defeated Nashville, 5-3… Ondrej Kase, who had 6-6-12 in 14 games with San Diego this season, netted his first career NHL playoff goal and John Gibson made 30 saves… 2015 AHL All-Rookie forward Viktor Arvidsson tallied two assists and was named the game’s third star for the Predators.

In the 2017 IIHF World Championships yesterday, William Nylander notched two goals and an assist to lead Sweden past Denmark, 4-2… Former AHL All-Stars Mikko Rantanen and Valtteri Filppula scored to give Finland a 3-2 overtime win over Switzerland… Anders Lee tallied a goal and an assist as the United States downed Slovakia, 6-1… Michal Repik, a veteran of 243 AHL games with Rochester and San Antonio, scored twice for the Czech Republic in a 5-2 win over France.

On This DateMay 15, 2016 – Travis Boyd scores 10:57 into overtime to give Hershey a 3-2 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in Game 7 of the Atlantic Division Finals.

May 15, 1978 – The Maine Mariners win the Calder Cup in their first season as members of the AHL, defeating New Haven 5-4 at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

May 15, 1973 – Before 15,019 fans at Buffalo’s Memorial Auditorium, the Cincinnati Swords win the Calder Cup with a 5-1 win over Nova Scotia.

May 15, 1972 – Nova Scotia concludes a dominating postseason with a 4-1 win over Baltimore, claiming its first Calder Cup championship… The Voyageurs outscored their opponents 64-19 in their 15 playoff games (12-3).

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